Chesapeake Energy, others sued for $1 mln in fatal Texas oil-well blast

Forbes Energy Services

05/02/2020 18:56

By Liz Hampton
    Feb 5 (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp  CHK.N  and three
oilfield service firms were sued by the daughter of a worker who
suffered fatal injuries when a Texas oil well exploded in flames
last month.
    The wrongful death suit seeks at least $1 million from
Chesapeake Energy, Forbes Energy Services, Eagle Pressure
Control and Halliburton Co  HAL.N . It was filed this week in a
Harris County District Court by Madison Hendrix, whose father
Brad Hendrix died in hospital days after the blast.  
    Hendrix alleged that Chesapeake, the well owner, and the
oilfield service companies were negligent, failed to provide a
safe work environment or adequate medical care to the workers.
    Chesapeake declined to comment and Eagle Pressure Control
and Forbes Energy Services did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. Attorneys representing Hendrix were not
immediately available. 
    Halliburton said it was not performing any services on the
rig when the well control incident occurred. Its well control
unit, Boots & Coots, was hired to handle the post-incident well
intervention work, a spokeswoman for the company said. 
    Brad Hendrix was a well intervention technical adviser at
Eagle Pressure Control, according to his LinkedIn profile. He
was one of three workers fatally injured in the Jan. 29
explosion near Deanville, Texas. 
    A second Eagle Pressure Control employee, Windell
Beddingfield of Lindale, Texas, died on the day of the accident,
according to an attorney for the family. His mother last week
sought a temporary restraining order against Chesapeake to
require it to preserve evidence from the blast.
    A third victim, identified by local media as Brian Maldonado
of San Diego, Texas, died in hospital over the weekend. A fourth
worker was airlifted to a hospital and has not been identified. 
    The companies and local officials have not officially
released the names of victims from the incident. 
    Employees of Chesapeake, Eagle Pressure Control and Forbes
Energy Services were on the site when natural gas leaked from a
well during a workover operation and exploded near Deanville,
about 75 miles (120 km) east off Austin. 
    WildHorse Resource Development Corp, which Chesapeake
acquired last year, also was named in the lawsuit. 
    
 

 (Reporting by Liz Hampton in Houston
Editing by Matthew Lewis)
 ((Liz.Hampton@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8522; Reuters
Messaging: Reuters Messaging: liz.hampton.reuters@reuters.net))